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new here - just want to say hi
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The filter and button trap is at the bottom of the back panel. Besides the improvement on the inner lid there was also a softener dispenser added. You can see it on rim of the machine, at the right from the drum.
I wouldn't dare sitting on these machines, too much going on when they start to spin. Most of the time there is a kind of sudslock. It's fascinating though to look at it, when I first had my 220 I even got a little nauseous from looking at it.
These machines weren't very popular in the Netherlands. The AEG Turnamats (H-axis twintubs) were sold much more overhere.
I wouldn't dare sitting on these machines, too much going on when they start to spin. Most of the time there is a kind of sudslock. It's fascinating though to look at it, when I first had my 220 I even got a little nauseous from looking at it.
These machines weren't very popular in the Netherlands. The AEG Turnamats (H-axis twintubs) were sold much more overhere.
Louis, what would we do without you ?
Now as you mentioned it, I remember the one I have once owned for a few days was a Novamat.
I found it in the bulk rubbish as I still went to school. Thought this would be a nice machine for my fist appartement. Did a testrun but it did not heat up the water. Checked the elements and they were just fine. Must have been a relay, I guess.
Anyway I surrendered and ditched it again.
The 500 rpm spin was too poor for my needs so I decided not to invest any money on replacementparts.
Wouldn`t dare to swear, but I think that mine even had three knobs.
Now as you mentioned it, I remember the one I have once owned for a few days was a Novamat.
I found it in the bulk rubbish as I still went to school. Thought this would be a nice machine for my fist appartement. Did a testrun but it did not heat up the water. Checked the elements and they were just fine. Must have been a relay, I guess.
Anyway I surrendered and ditched it again.
The 500 rpm spin was too poor for my needs so I decided not to invest any money on replacementparts.
Wouldn`t dare to swear, but I think that mine even had three knobs.
Now you made me blush...
The later models indeed had three knobs. Here's a picture the control panel of my own AEG Lavamat 220. BTW, this one has a spinspeed of 650rpm.
The later models indeed had three knobs. Here's a picture the control panel of my own AEG Lavamat 220. BTW, this one has a spinspeed of 650rpm.
AEG made many different models. This must be the first or one of the first. I found the picture on the internet, never saw one in real life. It's the only model I've seen with the controls on the side.
Here's another model that I think was made between the 64SL and the 220. It's the Lavamat 664. This one's spinspeed was 560rp.
The last model was the 240 with 850rpm. The later 240's had a stepped spin as I said before, they started at 400rpm and then went up to 850rpm.
And then this machine was also sold in Hungary under the Hajdu label during the communist era. In this picture you get a really good idea of the size of these machines.
OK, last picture. When AEG stopped making the compact machines with this type of suspension they came out with a new compact model that had a suspension like other H-axis toploaders. To achieve this they made the new ones a little wider to have space for the suspension. This is a Lavamat 275. No dancing anymore!
Louis, Thanks for more pictures. In your first posting at 6:35 with the top up there is a raised rectangle to the right of the drum with what looks like a TOGGLESWITCH in it and a matched molding in the cover just above that. Is that the lid switch that shut it off if the lid was raised or was that the softener dispenser that you wrote about in the later post? If that was not the lid switch,was it hidden in the lid lock? Thank you for showing the two types of cylinder access covers.
I see from the cover of the little booklet in your third picture that it looks like this machine came in two sizes, small and mini.
Keven, was the mini the one that you said looked like a footstool with a big dictionary sitting on top of it and washed 4.2 kilos? Louis, what is the capacity of the taller one that you have? I know you told us all about it when you were so thrilled to get it, but I did not know the exciting, destructive history behind the design and I forgot the details of your machine. Sorry.
Louis, where on the back side of the machine in your last picture is the vent for suds that Keven mentions? When you mention that watching yours made you nauseous, were you talking about bypassing the lid switch and watching it tumble in wash and rinse, or did you mean just watching it jump around during spin with the lid locked in the proper operating position? There have been a few machines that made me nauseous also, but it was because they were such cheaply made, poorly designed pieces of dreck.
It seems strange that a machine with so many hazards was marketed for so long. Its jumping around makes me think of a cartoon character from years ago that was supposed to be a Tasmanian Devil. I think it was blue, but I might not remember the color well. It was always jumping up and down and running around at top speed.
Thank you all for indulging my sick interest in this machine. I guess there is something in the male psyche that enjoys all sorts of destructive, demolition derby-type things. That's probably why males are always building weapons and always itching to use them.
I see from the cover of the little booklet in your third picture that it looks like this machine came in two sizes, small and mini.
Keven, was the mini the one that you said looked like a footstool with a big dictionary sitting on top of it and washed 4.2 kilos? Louis, what is the capacity of the taller one that you have? I know you told us all about it when you were so thrilled to get it, but I did not know the exciting, destructive history behind the design and I forgot the details of your machine. Sorry.
Louis, where on the back side of the machine in your last picture is the vent for suds that Keven mentions? When you mention that watching yours made you nauseous, were you talking about bypassing the lid switch and watching it tumble in wash and rinse, or did you mean just watching it jump around during spin with the lid locked in the proper operating position? There have been a few machines that made me nauseous also, but it was because they were such cheaply made, poorly designed pieces of dreck.
It seems strange that a machine with so many hazards was marketed for so long. Its jumping around makes me think of a cartoon character from years ago that was supposed to be a Tasmanian Devil. I think it was blue, but I might not remember the color well. It was always jumping up and down and running around at top speed.
Thank you all for indulging my sick interest in this machine. I guess there is something in the male psyche that enjoys all sorts of destructive, demolition derby-type things. That's probably why males are always building weapons and always itching to use them.
Tom,
The raised rectangle at the right of the drum is the softener dispenser that older models didn't have. The picture of 6.39 shows such an earlier model.
There are actually three lid switches. In the 6.35 picture you can see two small pins sticking out of the rim (on the inside, near the detergent dispenser, that is hiding in front of the drum). The third is the button in the molded part of the lid, just under the lidlock.
The picture of the booklet shows the small model on the right and a regular European toploader on the left. The machines in the pictures are all smaller models and all of them have the 4kg capacity (sometimes rated somewhat bigger).
I don't know where the opening at the back is, actually I'm not sure if they had them. Perhaps the older Novamat (not Novomat as I typed earlier!) had it, I'm not sure. I think it was Siemens who had such a thing, but then again I'm not even sure about that. LOL
I have never been able to defeat all those lidswitches. I got nauseous from just watching the very fast up and down dancing machine.
Your interest isn't sick at all, these machines are really fascinating and it's great to talk about them.
Louis
The raised rectangle at the right of the drum is the softener dispenser that older models didn't have. The picture of 6.39 shows such an earlier model.
There are actually three lid switches. In the 6.35 picture you can see two small pins sticking out of the rim (on the inside, near the detergent dispenser, that is hiding in front of the drum). The third is the button in the molded part of the lid, just under the lidlock.
The picture of the booklet shows the small model on the right and a regular European toploader on the left. The machines in the pictures are all smaller models and all of them have the 4kg capacity (sometimes rated somewhat bigger).
I don't know where the opening at the back is, actually I'm not sure if they had them. Perhaps the older Novamat (not Novomat as I typed earlier!) had it, I'm not sure. I think it was Siemens who had such a thing, but then again I'm not even sure about that. LOL
I have never been able to defeat all those lidswitches. I got nauseous from just watching the very fast up and down dancing machine.
Your interest isn't sick at all, these machines are really fascinating and it's great to talk about them.
Louis
novamat and mini
I think Louis has found some of the grooviest stuff ever. Thanks!
There is also a magnetic safety switch on lots of these...so you have to defeat three or four switches, depending on the exact specifications.
Yes, Tom, that is the machine I meant. I think you can see from all the pictures Louis posted (great!) that there have been many incarnations of this washer. The very old one with the two knobs on the side was built by another firm and sold by AEG (might have been a subsidiary). The name fails me, but it sounds like ministar or some such. This machine had no suspension at all, simply relying on a big roller in the front and the wheels in the back to roll back and forth with the spin. Which was only a few hundred r.p.m., anyway. It did, however wash very well.
Destructive is, I guess, a good term for them. On the other hand, Europeans take a very dim view of the US tendency towards "dumbing down". Parents here aren't supposed to let their children get into dangerous situations; adults are expected to use their heads. Safety interlocks on the washers, yes. Warnings not to dry your pets in the microwave, no. No wasted space, they were really compact and well designed. The frames had lots of cast iron hung on them (the chassis was self-supporting) and you would find various water pressure switches or other things tucked into nooks and crevices all over the place. The heating elements were increadibly powerful. Probably the biggest single difference to US machines. The slow heating of water to the ulitmate temperature (European "warm" is warmer than US "hot") was ideal for the enzymatic action of the detergents.
Oversudsing was a mega-mega-mega problem with these things. I used to keep a few pounds of salt and vinigar spirits in the bathroom to calm things down.
A friend of mine mentioned this morning that the switch to DC from AC motors upped the reliability tremendously, I just don't remember.
One last thing, you can see from the lid that is just hooked on (where did you get those great shots? And any chance of one with the case off? Please!?!)just how easy it was to kill these by forgetting to put it in place - or not quite locking it correctly.
The three knob units were at least as flexible as the '59 Computers from Westinghouse... I used to just sit there on the toilet seat and read the whole list...over 20 common possibilites...then my roommate would come in, shake his very blond hair, giving me the evil eye through the strands and pouring in the detergent by guestimation. He'd throw in half again as many clothes. Turn on the water faucet and pull the timer knob. "Niemand hat jemals den mittleren Knopf gebraucht in der Geschichte der Welt. Du spinnst!" (Nobody has ever needed the knob in the middle, you are a nut-case. Then he'd wander back out of the bathroom muttering about crazy Americans and decadent engineers being made for each other.
Guess he was right - the clothes always came out clean and nothing tore, shrunk or turned pink.
Funny to hear you found 500 r.p.m. too slow...lot's of US machines don't even do that and folks wonder why their clothes itch and the dryer bill is so high. We used to tell our customers not to even think about anything under 800 r.p.m. or get a Wäscheschleuder (centrifuge).
I think Louis has found some of the grooviest stuff ever. Thanks!
There is also a magnetic safety switch on lots of these...so you have to defeat three or four switches, depending on the exact specifications.
Yes, Tom, that is the machine I meant. I think you can see from all the pictures Louis posted (great!) that there have been many incarnations of this washer. The very old one with the two knobs on the side was built by another firm and sold by AEG (might have been a subsidiary). The name fails me, but it sounds like ministar or some such. This machine had no suspension at all, simply relying on a big roller in the front and the wheels in the back to roll back and forth with the spin. Which was only a few hundred r.p.m., anyway. It did, however wash very well.
Destructive is, I guess, a good term for them. On the other hand, Europeans take a very dim view of the US tendency towards "dumbing down". Parents here aren't supposed to let their children get into dangerous situations; adults are expected to use their heads. Safety interlocks on the washers, yes. Warnings not to dry your pets in the microwave, no. No wasted space, they were really compact and well designed. The frames had lots of cast iron hung on them (the chassis was self-supporting) and you would find various water pressure switches or other things tucked into nooks and crevices all over the place. The heating elements were increadibly powerful. Probably the biggest single difference to US machines. The slow heating of water to the ulitmate temperature (European "warm" is warmer than US "hot") was ideal for the enzymatic action of the detergents.
Oversudsing was a mega-mega-mega problem with these things. I used to keep a few pounds of salt and vinigar spirits in the bathroom to calm things down.
A friend of mine mentioned this morning that the switch to DC from AC motors upped the reliability tremendously, I just don't remember.
One last thing, you can see from the lid that is just hooked on (where did you get those great shots? And any chance of one with the case off? Please!?!)just how easy it was to kill these by forgetting to put it in place - or not quite locking it correctly.
The three knob units were at least as flexible as the '59 Computers from Westinghouse... I used to just sit there on the toilet seat and read the whole list...over 20 common possibilites...then my roommate would come in, shake his very blond hair, giving me the evil eye through the strands and pouring in the detergent by guestimation. He'd throw in half again as many clothes. Turn on the water faucet and pull the timer knob. "Niemand hat jemals den mittleren Knopf gebraucht in der Geschichte der Welt. Du spinnst!" (Nobody has ever needed the knob in the middle, you are a nut-case. Then he'd wander back out of the bathroom muttering about crazy Americans and decadent engineers being made for each other.
Guess he was right - the clothes always came out clean and nothing tore, shrunk or turned pink.
Funny to hear you found 500 r.p.m. too slow...lot's of US machines don't even do that and folks wonder why their clothes itch and the dryer bill is so high. We used to tell our customers not to even think about anything under 800 r.p.m. or get a Wäscheschleuder (centrifuge).
yeah, the little hole by the button filter
Forgot - the little hole down by the button filter is the overflow. Sometimes it was higher up. These machines are still in use in a lot of homes...perhaps because of their ST. Veitus' Dance method of spinning, they were really well built.
The two pins Louis mentioned on the sides were the lid interlock. They, together with the hold-down for the lid plunger and the magnetically actuated safety-switch were a very effectivve means of preventing anything horrid happening. Since the first spin could easily have taken place with 95° C water (just under boiling in Fahrenheit) you can imagine the dangers involved. Interestingly, they were real water pigs. Unbelievable the amounts they gulped. Especially considering their size. Supposedly had to do with efficient rinsing dispitge the tight confinement.
Oh, the drain hose used to jump out of the sink when they went dancing across the floor during the final spin. Since it was often weighted with a heavy lead or steel extension, it did a job on the sink or bathtub while the washer was doing in the toilet.
Nobody needed TV with these babies...
Forgot - the little hole down by the button filter is the overflow. Sometimes it was higher up. These machines are still in use in a lot of homes...perhaps because of their ST. Veitus' Dance method of spinning, they were really well built.
The two pins Louis mentioned on the sides were the lid interlock. They, together with the hold-down for the lid plunger and the magnetically actuated safety-switch were a very effectivve means of preventing anything horrid happening. Since the first spin could easily have taken place with 95° C water (just under boiling in Fahrenheit) you can imagine the dangers involved. Interestingly, they were real water pigs. Unbelievable the amounts they gulped. Especially considering their size. Supposedly had to do with efficient rinsing dispitge the tight confinement.
Oh, the drain hose used to jump out of the sink when they went dancing across the floor during the final spin. Since it was often weighted with a heavy lead or steel extension, it did a job on the sink or bathtub while the washer was doing in the toilet.
Nobody needed TV with these babies...
Keven, you forgot "in the history of the world," in your translation. Since you both mentioned the middle dial, how did the letters and numbers match up to create the cycles?
Thank you and Louis for taking the time to explain all of this.
Tom
Thank you and Louis for taking the time to explain all of this.
Tom
wer recht hat, hat recht
Tom, you are right. I was translating the gist, not the entire sentence. Actually Manfred used to say a great deal more than that---especially when he killed two of these in one month by forgetting the lid.
His wife does not permit him anywhere near their kitchen, by the way. I understand her completely.
Ok. The knob on the left is the timer. The one on the right is the thermostat (and remember, this is centigrade, so it goes from cold to nearly boiling.).
The one in the middle had (depending on model and year) various functions including: Spülstop (no last spin, stuff floated in water). Wasser/Stromsparer - Water/Electricity saver (varied alot over the years, sometimes it really cut the water used in each cycle, sometimes just cut an extra rinse.) Energy Saver - this one sunk the final temperature from 95 to 60 or 60 to 40 (again, varied over time and model) and increased the length of washing time to achieve equivalent results.
And so on.
The timer itself had lots of possibilities. Since German washers wash for hours and hours and hours (ok, 187 minutes max on my current machine -but hey - that is 3 hours +) an additional 20 minutes here or there didn't matter.
You could vary the cycle time, degree of agitation, spin speed, spin type, water level...pre-wash(es) and so on.
Non-intuitive for me, but there were some built-in safeguards. "Wolle" (Wool) for instance would ignore any heat settings above 40° (luke-warm) Permanent-Press overrode the water-saving and automatically sank the 95° wash temperature you had chosen to 60° (if lower, that had priority).
In the 6 years I lived together with the guy, he said "in der Weltgeschickte" at least twice a week regarding me and my US-American ways. He was a member of the German Greens (in the reginal parliment later) and super eco-oriented. First time he went on vacation, I bought a washer. Second time, a clothes-dryer. Third time a dishwasher.
He never took another vacation until after he had married and moved out.......
Tom, you are right. I was translating the gist, not the entire sentence. Actually Manfred used to say a great deal more than that---especially when he killed two of these in one month by forgetting the lid.
His wife does not permit him anywhere near their kitchen, by the way. I understand her completely.
Ok. The knob on the left is the timer. The one on the right is the thermostat (and remember, this is centigrade, so it goes from cold to nearly boiling.).
The one in the middle had (depending on model and year) various functions including: Spülstop (no last spin, stuff floated in water). Wasser/Stromsparer - Water/Electricity saver (varied alot over the years, sometimes it really cut the water used in each cycle, sometimes just cut an extra rinse.) Energy Saver - this one sunk the final temperature from 95 to 60 or 60 to 40 (again, varied over time and model) and increased the length of washing time to achieve equivalent results.
And so on.
The timer itself had lots of possibilities. Since German washers wash for hours and hours and hours (ok, 187 minutes max on my current machine -but hey - that is 3 hours +) an additional 20 minutes here or there didn't matter.
You could vary the cycle time, degree of agitation, spin speed, spin type, water level...pre-wash(es) and so on.
Non-intuitive for me, but there were some built-in safeguards. "Wolle" (Wool) for instance would ignore any heat settings above 40° (luke-warm) Permanent-Press overrode the water-saving and automatically sank the 95° wash temperature you had chosen to 60° (if lower, that had priority).
In the 6 years I lived together with the guy, he said "in der Weltgeschickte" at least twice a week regarding me and my US-American ways. He was a member of the German Greens (in the reginal parliment later) and super eco-oriented. First time he went on vacation, I bought a washer. Second time, a clothes-dryer. Third time a dishwasher.
He never took another vacation until after he had married and moved out.......
list on right
Forgot the list on the far right of the control panel. There you had a range of washing programmes in the first column (Vollwasch, Kochwasch, Seide, etc.)
In the next column the timer settings, then the extra options (the notorious knob in the middle) and finally the temperatures recommended - with the warning that not all were supported.
This list was not complete, but it covered about the 20 most common possiblities. Some others were useful, like when soaking overnight. There you would fill and heat, then switch to last rinse (agitation) without draining. Or on some models they actually did soak with occasional agitation overnight.
Forgot the list on the far right of the control panel. There you had a range of washing programmes in the first column (Vollwasch, Kochwasch, Seide, etc.)
In the next column the timer settings, then the extra options (the notorious knob in the middle) and finally the temperatures recommended - with the warning that not all were supported.
This list was not complete, but it covered about the 20 most common possiblities. Some others were useful, like when soaking overnight. There you would fill and heat, then switch to last rinse (agitation) without draining. Or on some models they actually did soak with occasional agitation overnight.
Most of the pictures I posted are from the internet, these washer often show up on the German eBay site. I saved a lot of pictures of washers. Unfortunately there are many more on the harddrive of my old computer, but I can't get access to that harddrive :-(
Keven, is it possible that the first Novamatic was built by Cordes? They made compact toploaders too. Just a guess though.
These machines are indeed like other European machines capable of doing boil washes, but they also have a cooldown at the end of the mainwash. I don't think the plastic standpipes could stand that much boiling water. My guess is that at the end there was about 10 litres of water added.
Sudslock is indeed a major problem with these machines. The space between the inner and outer drum is pretty small I guess, although I have never seen one of these machines open. I guess it's also the reason why they only have a final spin and no spins between rinses. Imagine these machines spinning after every rinse!!
Here's an explanation for the timer and the cycle selector of my AEG Lavamat 220 (picture witht he brown control panel with three dials):
Timer:
Regular:
1. Prewash
2. Main Wash
3. Short Wash
4. Last Rinse
5. Spin
Delicate:
6. Prewash
7. Main Wash
8. Last Rinse
9. Short Spin
Cycle Selector:
A: Cottons
A½: Cottons small load
B: Permanent Press
B½: Permanent Press small load
C: Soak cycle
D: Delicate cycle
H: Wool
As you can see my model has a separate temp. comtrol.
The models with two controls mostly have a timer with integrated temperature choices and a cycle selector.
Keven,
I had such a good laugh over your picture of the member of the "Grünen". Spot on!!
Keven, is it possible that the first Novamatic was built by Cordes? They made compact toploaders too. Just a guess though.
These machines are indeed like other European machines capable of doing boil washes, but they also have a cooldown at the end of the mainwash. I don't think the plastic standpipes could stand that much boiling water. My guess is that at the end there was about 10 litres of water added.
Sudslock is indeed a major problem with these machines. The space between the inner and outer drum is pretty small I guess, although I have never seen one of these machines open. I guess it's also the reason why they only have a final spin and no spins between rinses. Imagine these machines spinning after every rinse!!
Here's an explanation for the timer and the cycle selector of my AEG Lavamat 220 (picture witht he brown control panel with three dials):
Timer:
Regular:
1. Prewash
2. Main Wash
3. Short Wash
4. Last Rinse
5. Spin
Delicate:
6. Prewash
7. Main Wash
8. Last Rinse
9. Short Spin
Cycle Selector:
A: Cottons
A½: Cottons small load
B: Permanent Press
B½: Permanent Press small load
C: Soak cycle
D: Delicate cycle
H: Wool
As you can see my model has a separate temp. comtrol.
The models with two controls mostly have a timer with integrated temperature choices and a cycle selector.
Keven,
I had such a good laugh over your picture of the member of the "Grünen". Spot on!!
cordes/miele
I am not sure, but don't think so...Cordes was way too technically advanced. Their variable level (Mehrstufenschleudern) process back before electronics was just the bee's knees. Didn't they get bought by Miele?
Their mini's were way better built than the AEGs, at least the ones we saw in the workshop. Almost all were there because of scale or the rubber boot being gashed by the drum.
Yeah, Manfred was a Green with humor. Not too many have that. They are mostly known for their "no" mentality.
When I bought the dishwasher, he said he wouldn't use it. Never mind that they use less energy and water...it was the principle of the thing.
His protest lasted until our first big party. I went to bed at 2 in the morning...at 4 I woke up and found him in the kitchen unloading the dishes...
The Greens are usually right in the end, but their attitude is often worse than the Americans when they think they know best about...well, just about everything.
Some SL 64s did do a spin after the second rinse, by the way - just a short one.
Still suds-locked. Heck, they suds-locked continuously. Manfred found a bio-organic-decomposable detergent based on coconut fibers or some such which didn't foam but cleaned well. That solved the problem.
The integrated temperature controls were one of the many great features of these machines. In a way, Manfred was right - just set it and forget it. You couldn't make any crucial mistakes as long as you chose the right program.
Wool, by the way, left the clothes floating in water in mine. This was lots of fun, cause the water was always ice cold by the morning - no heat in the bathroom (the hot water heater was fired by putting in coal).
Memories, ah memories.
One other little detail: The fill-solinoid was anchored to the frame and not the rear wall. This meant it you over-tightend it, the plastic nut would sometimes get caught in the cut-out in the rear wall and be impossible to remove.
Anybody have any experience with the Bosch/Siemens/Constructa minis? We didn't repair them because the boss thought they were too cheaply built to guarantee. He stayed in business by providing a one year guarantee on the used stuff he sold (in Germany in those days you had 6 months. Weird, huh? Best quality in the world and no guarantee...just the opposite of the 'States, where manufacturers are held responsible for what they make.)
I am not sure, but don't think so...Cordes was way too technically advanced. Their variable level (Mehrstufenschleudern) process back before electronics was just the bee's knees. Didn't they get bought by Miele?
Their mini's were way better built than the AEGs, at least the ones we saw in the workshop. Almost all were there because of scale or the rubber boot being gashed by the drum.
Yeah, Manfred was a Green with humor. Not too many have that. They are mostly known for their "no" mentality.
When I bought the dishwasher, he said he wouldn't use it. Never mind that they use less energy and water...it was the principle of the thing.
His protest lasted until our first big party. I went to bed at 2 in the morning...at 4 I woke up and found him in the kitchen unloading the dishes...
The Greens are usually right in the end, but their attitude is often worse than the Americans when they think they know best about...well, just about everything.
Some SL 64s did do a spin after the second rinse, by the way - just a short one.
Still suds-locked. Heck, they suds-locked continuously. Manfred found a bio-organic-decomposable detergent based on coconut fibers or some such which didn't foam but cleaned well. That solved the problem.
The integrated temperature controls were one of the many great features of these machines. In a way, Manfred was right - just set it and forget it. You couldn't make any crucial mistakes as long as you chose the right program.
Wool, by the way, left the clothes floating in water in mine. This was lots of fun, cause the water was always ice cold by the morning - no heat in the bathroom (the hot water heater was fired by putting in coal).
Memories, ah memories.
One other little detail: The fill-solinoid was anchored to the frame and not the rear wall. This meant it you over-tightend it, the plastic nut would sometimes get caught in the cut-out in the rear wall and be impossible to remove.
Anybody have any experience with the Bosch/Siemens/Constructa minis? We didn't repair them because the boss thought they were too cheaply built to guarantee. He stayed in business by providing a one year guarantee on the used stuff he sold (in Germany in those days you had 6 months. Weird, huh? Best quality in the world and no guarantee...just the opposite of the 'States, where manufacturers are held responsible for what they make.)
hot water supply
Keven, was the hot water you spoke of for the radiators to heat the house or was it the domestic hot water supply like for bathing, or both? Did the same coal-fired boiler heat both or was the domestic hot water heated separately by coal? A separate coal-fired water heater sounds sort of hard to regulate. It must not have been like our storage tank water heaters over here. Did you have to stoke the furnace in the morning?
Keven, was the hot water you spoke of for the radiators to heat the house or was it the domestic hot water supply like for bathing, or both? Did the same coal-fired boiler heat both or was the domestic hot water heated separately by coal? A separate coal-fired water heater sounds sort of hard to regulate. It must not have been like our storage tank water heaters over here. Did you have to stoke the furnace in the morning?
Yes, Cordes was bought up by Miele. I think it was because of the commercial line that Miele achieved them, at least so I was told.
Here's a picture, I see quite some similarities between the old Novamat with the controls on the side and this Cordes toploader.
Here's a picture, I see quite some similarities between the old Novamat with the controls on the side and this Cordes toploader.
